A Podcast Archive page is in the works so you can just download it directly. But we advise you try out iTunes as it's a fairly efficient and useful free program. We also love Apple.

DIY Pirate RadioDecember 2 2005

Square-Enix Hates You (If you're Japanese)

Hot on the heels of the Japanese release of Dragon Quest VIII costing too much, the Japanese release of Final Fantasy XII will be in markup-land, so says GameSpot. Japanese retail is going to start at about $80. This won't happen in the USA, but should serve as a fine reminder of what happens when four million kids will skip school to spend mommy and daddy's money on a game. (It'll happen with toys. Look at Target's exclusive Star Wars if you don't believe me. Hey-- don't look at me like that. DON'T TURN AWAY!)

First up: Remy got General Grievous, the Star Wars Transformers version. It's NICE. Take a look at the complete gallery and weep or rejoice or whatever it is you people do with things like this.

Word around the web has it that the next overpriced Japan-only (?) DVD repaint will be of Noisemaze, aka Cybertron Sideways. He'll be in "mass production colors" and close to $100. Check your favorite importers for pricing or wait to see if Hasbro puts it out here for a sensible price.

E-Hobby's next exclusive has been more or less completely revealed. It's Twincast with Flipsides, and the latter is an original character. We dig it. Not sure we'll get one but it's purty.

Finally, rumor has it that Toy's Dream Project's next redeco may be a black Soundwave from Galaxy Force. Which you heard a few months ago, but then it was supposedly for Toys "R" Us. We're not holding our breath.

Oh, and we have Wave 2 Mini-Con bios for you today. Love us. Or Hasbro, as they wrote these. All are available as a preorder from Entertainment Earth and if you enjoy seeing sneak peeks as this, give us a big ol' hug and order them from a sponsor. (We get a nickel, you know.)

There are legends on the Moon among human colonists of ghost vehicles ­ autos and aircraft without drivers ­ that sometimes charge in from the barren, lunar desert to destroy a settlement or a vital terraforming project. The vicious ghosts then disappear into the depths of the lunar night, leaving few survivors. SCATTORBRAIN for his part relishes his status as a legend, and plays up the ghost angle at every opportunity, appearing for a few moments on the horizon near a human outpost, and then disappearing before he can be identified; occasionally attacking smaller outposts to wreak a little havoc and keep the rumors going.

MONOCLE could be considered one of the mysterious ghost vehicles, but for a different reason. He and his companions on the Exploration Team stayed on the Moon after most of the other MINI-CON robots left because they wanted solitude and quiet contemplation. They spend most of their time on the dark side of the Moon, where few humans go, and are occasionally spotted by explorers driving across the empty landscape, or meditating on the floor of an old crater. Their peace is disturbed only by the disruptive aggression of SCATTORBRAIN and the other members of the Lunar Assault Team.

You'd expect anyone as big and tough as PAYLOAD to be pretty dumb, or at least used to relying on his natural strength and endurance to get him through life. Many have made the same mistake, but you underestimate the intelligence of this MINI-CON at your peril. PAYLOAD would much rather outwit his opposition than destroy them in a straight fight. He therefore spends his time setting traps and pitfalls for ASCENTOR, who -- while smart -- is often distracted by his own thoughts.

Unlike MONOCLE and LANDSLIDE, ASCENTOR maintained contact with the MINI-CON robots that returned to CYBERTRON after the Armada Battles. Over the years, he has developed a philosophical give-and-take with the MINI-CON Council of Sages. This ongoing discussion occupies much of his core processor time, causing him to be distracted, and vulnerable to the traps set by PAYLOAD. However, his years of deep thought have also caused his sensory and motor-control systems to rewrite themselves, giving him what appears to nearly be a sixth sense when it comes to avoiding pitfalls and sneak attacks.

During the long years of relative solitude before and since their discovery on the Moon by the larger TRANSFORMERS, KOBUSHI came to the conclusion that personal perfection could be attained through challenging combat. Every enemy destroyed, he believes, adds to his own power as a warrior. He has devoted his life to improving his martial skill, adapting the ancient art of Metallikato to most effectively use his diamond-tipped drill arm. LANDSLIDE, the toughest individual on the Exploration Team, has been his frequent opponent, and KOBUSHI challenges him at every opportunity.

LANDSLIDE is at peace always. His long contemplation has taught him the path to inner stillness. He has let go of the physical world, and embraced the world beyond. Recently, he has discovered how to project his core programming out of his robotic body for a limited time and into astral space. There, he has encountered other, powerful beings, and learned many truths. Though KOBUSHI attempts to interrupt his meditation at every opportunity with petty challenges, LANDSLIDE has yet to fall before the aggressive robot's attacks, using his inner strength and passive nature to create the ultimate martial defense.

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. This week we ask the big questions-- like why is the Utapau Shadow Trooper a bit off? We also ask the big question-- "Why do we care?" For the carded variation collector, 2006 might bring you over $3,000 in potential purchases. If having every carded figure variation in your collection is important to you, this is one Q&A you won't want to miss.

A specially redesigned Goku Makaimura (or Ghouls n' Ghosts is up at The Magic Box for previewing. Like other ports, it seems to be a massive 2D face lift to a classic, although this one doesn't look especially easy on the eyes. Do check it out.

First up: TFW2005 has a big thread of goodies, including Transformers Attacktix and a brand new previously unseen PACKAGED duo of Mini-Cons. Fancy. Go see them. We're more or less pleased, although Scythe the Mini-Con looks a lot like a toy we already have.

Word around the web has it that wave 4 of Cybertron deluxes are now out-- this includes Crosswise (Autovolt), Thunderblast (Chromia), and Brimstone (Terrashaver). The assortment is rounded out, or so we hear, with Snarl and Sideways, with no current sign of more of Buzzsaw, Blurr, Runamuck, or Longrack. Yet, anyway. So go buy those when you see them as two are superb, one is pretty good, and one is good enough if you like the character.

Try and tell us that ain't gorgeous. Microman Forever has the scoop on this 5-piece set from Japan. Natch, it's exclusive to Toys "R" Us over there, but it's pretty-- it has the Material Force body in metallic green, bronze, silver, "zinc," and gold. Wow, this'd make a nice holiday gift.

Tom's Micro News Report from the same site also has news on some nifty 2006 items, including Gamera! (He is made of turtle meat, you know.) Read on for the sweaty, sordid details.

After many delays, HasbroToyShop.com has Astrotrain, the G1 reissue Transformers toy, for $24.99. It's a pretty good deal as it's different from the original US release and pretty much the same as the Japanese reissue except for the box-- and the price is pretty darned good. Do check it out.

SOTA Toys agreed to sit down with us and answer some questions on Wednesday, so if you got 'em, send 'em in to the address below. Or it'll all be questions from me, and who wants that? Don't be shy if you got a question, odds are it'll get asked if you send it in. We're recording Wednesday afternoon so hurry and send 'em in if you're so inclined.

We saw this over the weekend, and wow, are we happy. Archive.org has posted buttloads of live concerts for streaming or downloading. Not entirely sure of how legal these are or aren't, but there's a ton of shows from (shock) the Grateful Dead and (happy happy) Man or Astro-Man. We advise you snag the MOAM show they did for John Peel as it doesn't sound like crap. Not a ton of the bands listed here get us excited, but hey-- we have unique tastes, and assume you do as well. So do go check it out.

When items of interest are lacking, items of novelty can do nicely. The Magic Box has images of the Xbox 360 title Rumble Roses XX on display and they're pretty high res and pretty impressive. It's another girl-on-girl brawler ala Dead or Alive and looks quite striking as far as textures go and all. Plus, you know, the ladies. The word for today, by the way, is gratuitous.

Oh, the fun. Plugging. So at work we were checking our stock levels on some stuff and with the sales going the way they are, Entertainment Earth will be completely out of the Star Trek Classic Phaser this week. It's $24.99 and according to Diamond, this is it-- no more runs. Sure, it could change, but it might be a year or two before another run. So keep your eyes peeled at other online stores for this one in a week or so because they're just going away quickly.

Also, a lot of the Xevoz items are running low. A few cancelled credit cards have resulted in some items showing up, but basically anything that isn't a Wave 4 figure is in very low supply. (Single digits on the Xevoz Battle Attack Transporter with Unnatural Iron Spectre.) Since supplies are drying up everywhere but maybe eBay, if you want this stuff, now's a good time to get buying.

Word on the street has it that Galvatron from Cybertron is out at some online stores. While we haven't seen it yet, we fully expect it to be all over soon-- now's a good a time as any, especially with Wal-Mart blowing out Optimus and Megatron for pennies over $33.

Also, we're updating our various Transformers checklists, as we are lazy, lazy people and saw someone cite them as a reference source. The least we can do is pretend they're up to date, so pretend we will. For your information, here's the ones we looked over and/or revised:Cybertron

What a scoop! Check out Sigma 6 Central for the first shots we've ever seen of (we assume) Commando Assortment Duke with a Jet Pack. He's scruffy!

Also, Hasbro's Ask Cobra Commander has been updated with actual questions and answers. We're more or less pleased. We were hoping for more dastardly answers or some reference to stealing Duke's birthday cake but this will do nicely for now. The best news: Hasbro says to hang on to your G.I. Joe FLAG and Battle points. (Hasbro told SW fans to screw when it came to their Jedi Master Points.)

News Askew received some preview images in the form of wallpaper for the new Graphitti Designs Chasing Amy inaction figures. There seems to be a pretty good selection, the finest of which appears to the left. Five new figures, click on through to their December 5 update for more.

While we're nowhere near as excited as we were (and still are) for Mario Kart DS, the new Animal Crossing title with internet play is now available. As there's no NES ports, we're passing. But we do think it looks like it has massive amounts of potential for the younger sect of gamers and if and when we win the lottery we'll be spending lots of time trying it out.

Today, we've got a lot. We ended up splitting this one up and the second part will be posted over the weekend. Today, though, we've got Mezco Toyz' 2006 lineup (more Family Guy, Zombies, and more), a toy of the week, and a buttload of news.

A Podcast Archive page is in the works so you can just download it directly. But we advise you try out iTunes as it's a fairly efficient and useful free program. We also love Apple.

OverratedDecember 9 2005

Optimus Prime's Head Pre-Order, Sky Shadow, Wing Saber

Now available for preorder, ending the speculation on price, is the Optimus Prime Head Replica, which, for example, Entertainment Earth is selling for $249.99. It's going to stand about 14-inches tall and is about as off-model as you can imagine. Still, worth a gander, we'd wager. We don't plan to buy one, only 1,000 are being made.

The Magic Box received word of Zoids Infinity EX Neo for Xbox 360 which, we believe, has the most add-on words of any game title in recent memory. Due in Spring, it's playable online and there's no word yet of a bonus toy. See more at The Magic Box.

A large container of plastic goodies came in at Entertainment Earth today, from Wedge Antilles to a large R2-D2 Astromech Droid that can respond to your voice! Read on to see what's in stock now. Since we work there, we're going to tell you about it a little with this shameless array of product placement and/or filler. (As that's part of our day job.) Please note that all orders need to be placed by about December 14 for guaranteed holiday delivery. As always, buy through these links and we get like a quarter in kickbacks.

Over the past few years, the final Sega system has had a few import titles released for it, far and few between. But the most shocking thing was a story at The Magic Box that, well, reads as follows. (And we apologize for lifting this for emphasis, so please go there and click some banners or something.)

Dreamcast still lives! MileStone announced they will release a Dreamcast shooter Radilgy in Japan on February 16, 2006, for 10000 yen. The game will be sold at the Sega Direct online store in Japan.

All we can say is, wow. The system came out in September 1999, was pronounced dead on arrival by the electronic press, and was hacked and bootlegged and downloaded like crazy as the "far superior" next generation of games followed it. So we must say we're somewhat shocked to see a new title for it.

According to the December 9 update of the MST3K Info Site, this DVD is being yanked due to "rights issues." What those are, we don't know. We do know that most if not all online stores no longer stock this release, nor do most stores we visited over the weekend to find a copy. We did eventually snag one at Borders, so if you're in the market for it, you may wish to do that.

In the short list of things we can't make up, there's this story on the newest member of the Coke family, Coca-Cola Blak. It's an "adult" beverage, which we assume means the can has nipples. There's no can image yet, as far as I can tell, so there ya go. Another Coke. We expect Pepsi to have something new shortly.

Non-news: our Transformers Universe Checklist has been updated with a few corrections, tweaks, and updates. Nothing you probably don't know here, but still, if you enjoy reading documents and making corrections, please feel free to read this and send us an email.

Also, we posted Wave 3 of the Cybertron Mini-Cons at Entertainment Earth. That's the good news. The bad news is we have no images or bios. We do have the assortment, though:Transformers Cybertron Mini-Con 2-Packs Wave 3. They're more than meets the eye-- and they're tiny! Transformers Cybertron Mini-Con 2-Packs are here to grow your armies of these robots in disguise, and each figure has rolling wheels, firing projectiles, grabbing claws, working winches, Autobot or Decepticon logos, and the ability to power up some other Transformers toys (not included.) With all this added firepower, you can help save Cybertron-- or destroy it!Transformers Cybertron Mini-Con 2-Packs Wave 3 includes 12 individually packaged Mini-Con 2-packs for a grand total of 24 Transformers: 1x Shockwave vs. Tankor, 1x Sky Lynx vs. Thunderblast, 1x Razorclaw vs. Steamhammer, 1x Scattorbrain vs. Monocle, 1x Payload vs. Ascentor, 1x Kobushi vs. Landslide, 2x Anti-Blaze vs. Thrust, 2x Scythe vs. Ramjet, 2x Checkpoint vs. Sunstorm. (Subject to change.)

The major Playmobil sites didn't do much updating, but it seems the official German Playmobil site is quite busy. As such, if you'd like a sneak peek at future sets with annoying comments by yours truly, read on. We originally posted this elsewhere and as such, it's pretty freeform and rambling, so with that in mind...

Tree Surgeon
Green suited man, two potted trees... and a CHAINSAW. Put me down for one.

Garden Shed
Boooooooring. Wait, I guess you can stuff some bodies in it. OK, it has potential.

Royal Treasury
Easily the best set of accessories I've ever seen. Had I a pirate ship-- especially the ghost pirate ship-- I'd buy this. Gotta give something to the ghosts for them to haunt. There's some interesting idols and pots and gold crap in here so I could see getting this if the price is right, which I do not expect it to be.

Fairytale Castle Kitchen
Obviously, I am not the target market. (OK, moreso than usual.) Has a very interesting selection of accessories and a serving wench. However, my old lady already got me the Playmobil Saloon which has what I can only assume is a woman of ill-repute, and that's hard to top. (Even if this new one is supposed to be a lusty serving wench.) It doesn't pass the hobo test, which is basically "so what kind of cool crap can I do with this and the hobo?"

King with ThroneYes. Wacky moustache king. A Panther chained to the throne. The throne itself is carved with weird designs, including many Owls. There's candles, a rug (on which the hobo can pee), and a quill and a book. Holy crap. Put me down for one of these.

King's Children
I was going to just say something snotty but then I saw there was a little dragon on the fountain. So while it's still overall boring, points for the dragon.

Play Boat Thing
I can't translate the name. It's a motorboat with a water slide on the back. It seems to really float and I do believe it has a weiner dog. (Which, for the record, usually has a sculpted weiner.) Also has a cooler. This is a maybe.

So, that Dreamcast game? Our favorite importers NCS indicate that it's both coming by itself for 5800 yen (about $53 or so), and as a mega bundle with the Dreamcast console itself. Which is a shocker on many levels, and we think explains the pricing. NCS also has images and we must say... we're quite curious. And will be digging our Dreamcast out of the mothballs to try this out, we think, maybe. Or not.

Also notable: Gamespot has news on Midway Arcade Treasures for PSP, which will include the first three Mortal Kombats, Defender, and a bunch of other crap. It sounds like an awesome mix and were it available on a big console in this configuration we'd probably buy it. Joust, Gauntlet, Rampage, it's a darned good compilation.

Oh, DVD. You rescue good TV from the abyss. Today, you can read about Action, a Fox show that got dumped on and dumped out after 13 episodes. It featured a number of great talents, starring Jay Mohr and Buddy Hackett. It's an awesome show and you can read all about it over at TVShowsOnDVD.com. Oh, there's artwork too.

Like He-Man? He-Man.org has a series of new questions and non-answers (I kid, I kid) from Mattel on Masters of the Universe which is, big shock, on hiatus. Lots of interesting tidbits which will probably more likely infuriate than educate, but as official answers from a toy company are hard to get, you owe it to yourself to read it if you're interested in such things.

Today at Entertainment Earth, the new assortment of Mini-Cons has been updated with images and all that jazz-- but some didn't fit. So we have them here. (Blah blah blah preorder today.) Each image also has a look at the full sword, whose name and bio is presently not available to us.

As an added bonus today, new images for wave 2 of Star Wars Transformers were revealed too. You can see/preorder them here. (Tis the season for shamelessness.) New releases include Boba Fett/Slave I, Anakin/Jedi Starfighter, and Darth Maul/Sith Infiltrator. And Vader's gonna keep shipping in wave 2. Good news, Maul looks especially nice.

We hear that Square Enix' port of Final Fantasy IV is in stores today. Although we can't find anyone selling it yet, and several stores don't even have it on their site or in their ads. So we're going to go hunting for that this week, as should you. If you're frustrated and want to hang out with Cecil and Kain and need a snack before the main course, GameSpot has a review and it sounds about as good as we're hoping for.

We also hear the Xbox 360 launch totally jumped the shark. You can hear it too, in this GameSpot article or at NCS. Too bad so far, but the good news is apparently the games have no territorial lockout, so if you want an Xbox 360, consider a Japanese unit.

In the Entertainment Earth Warehouses yesterday, shipments of the Wave 3 figures and the newest comic packs-- the ones with "Vietnam" Tommy, Lonzo, and "Classified," and all that good stuff is there. Should be in stock in the next 24 hours, so if you backorder, odds are you'll get them within a week. (If you do fast shipping as it sucks this time of year.)

Some people are no doubt hard at work stuffing the ballot box over at Wizard for the ToyFare/Hasbro Fan's Choice poll. ANY fan can submit ANY character. Wow. We know a lot of fans are asking for Quinlan Vos... but we have our own designs. See that picture? That's a Mantellian Savrip, one of the "chess" (or Dejarik to those in the know) monsters from the original Star Wars. The Savrip was also a boss in the (wait for it) 16bit game, Super Star Wars on the Super NES. Vote Savrip!

Our friends at #wiigii! pointed us to this page which sells several shirts based on the Namco game series Katamari Damacy. That's all you need to know, so click.

We also scored Final Fantasy IV for GBA at Target, $26 and change. Circuit City has it for $24.99, if they actually have it. Most stores still have yet to put the game on shelves, but we have it, and we're currently trying to find out if the bard is still spoony or not-- there's a new translation here. (Or at least new since the Super NES port.)

First up: here's something you likely won't see for sale. Gentle Giant Studios sends out a little holiday package every year and for some reason we were beloved enough to get this little polystone hug. It's a Salacious Crumb, in a Santa hat, covered in lights, picking apart C-3PO. Limited to 200 pieces, it does not appear these will be sold on the retail market, nor the wholesale one. And ours? Not for sale. We're just sharing as nobody has seen one yet at press time.

Also new and notable (and a word from our sponsor), is the Darth Vader Cinemascape Statue. The news here is that it was going to be Wal-Mart's exclusive, Wal-Mart changed their mind, and a limited number (the number which we can't figure out) are seeing production. Entertainment Earth is asking $109.99, so far we haven't seen them for sale elsewhere. So if you like super-expensive Hasbro items, this resin statue is for you.

At work today, we were hard getting some new information to sell crap. As such, it also happens to be news-- wrapped in an ad. So for the news purists out there, this is obviously tainted meat. Downshift and Cybertron Defense Hot Shot bios, release dates, and images can all be found here.

Take a look at a gallery at The Magic Box with four new pages of galleries of the portable Katamari offering! It has a rollercoaster with penguins-- what's not to like? Also be sure to check out the four images at GameSpot showing the bonus 2D, 8bit-styled Katamari bonus game!

So we got some reports around the country that the first 3 reissues-- Cheetor, Rhinox, and Waspinator-- are hitting Wal-Marts. Along with the 2006 Alternators of Tracks, Sunstreaker, Prowl, and Skids. Oh, and Cybertron Swerve and Swindle. It's a busy hunting season, especially seeing as many fans have yet to see other recent releases still!

Also, check out Laser Ultra Magnus, a "new" G2 toy coming in Japan. This E-Hobby exclusive is the old Laser Optimus Prime toy recolored as, you guessed it, Mr. "I don't have time for that now!"

Last night at an LA area Toys "R" Us we were shocked to find both Swindle and Swerve, and both were also on sale 25% off. (With the $10 gift certificate from the 'rents, the two cost us a full $1 and change.) Swerve is quite nifty and Swindle is still in package at press time.

Also, online stores now have the second wave of Mini-Cons. You can find them at Entertainment Earth and elsewhere.

Ever wonder what would happen if a Microman figure had a suit of armor that looks like an octopus? Takara's finest aquatic beast toy since the Takotank is up for viewing (and reviewing) at Microman Forever, and we think it's one fine looking toy. Take a look, kids!

Pictures have been revealed of David Bowie as the Goblin King, the action figure from Palisades. Images should be up at this Entertainment Earth listing shortly and can be found in the new issue of Previews. (Which looks much better than the one Palisades sent us at work on Monday, we must say.) With rooted hair, three balls (tee-hee), and a chase version with a purple coat, we expect this to be a hot item. The likeness is pretty good from the shots we've seen, not perfect, but very good. We've shown it around to who we believe to be the most appropriate customers for this item and she approves lustfully. (We're feeling unloved, but we digress.)

...Sesame Street Big Bird is making the rounds too. Again, the image should be up shortly, and it was also shown in Previews.

While searching eBay, we found these kits from a Japanese Dinosaur Expo. There are at least four specially colored kits, including a particularly awesome Red Horn, and you may wish to check them out. The prices are all over the place, though, so a little patience can net you these for a good price, but if nothing else you may just want to check them out.

Want to see 12 pages of the first Beast Wars comic with full lettering and all that crap? Well, click here and you can. It's looking pretty neat with lots and lots of interesting character models and an introduction with promise.

Want to see something strange and mystical? The Magic Box has many new pictures of Seiken Densetsu 4. It's a new "Secret of Mana" game for those who don't follow the series, as our "Secret of Mana" was actually Seiken Densetsu 2. (The first Seiken Densetsu was Final Fantasy Adventure on the GameBoy, and #3 never came out in the USA.) #4 is coming to PS2 in 2006. In Japan. No idea about us foreigners yet.

There's a big sale going on at Entertainment Earth, such as the one on this Xevoz Runeslayer vs. Firedrake. $9.90, we daresay that's the best price you'll see any time soon. More items are being marked down but since that's like half off we figured you may want to know.

Is this the last show of 2005? We don't know. But we do look at Transformers Cybertron Swindle, GameBoy Advance Castlevania, tons of news and all that crap. Sure, it could be better, but then it might be good, which, at best, it isn't just yet.

A Podcast Archive page is in the works so you can just download it directly. But we advise you try out iTunes as it's a fairly efficient and useful free program. We also love Apple.

Merry JesusmasDecember 24 2005

Entertainment Earth Winter Blowout Sale!

Happy plugging. Over 700 products are on sale for up to 90% off right now-- it's a pre-post-Christmas sale at Entertainment Earth! Simpsons for $1.90 for 2 figures, Simpsons playsets, Max Rebo for $5.90, Star Wars figures under $3, statues, busts, shirts, and so much more. And a lot of it is junk-- but with 700 items, and even Sock Monkey stuff, you may find something to amuse you enough to buy as you browse at work. If not... well, sorry to waste your time then.

If you dare brave Wal-Mart's aisles, you may find a good deal. Early wave deluxe Transformers Cybertron figures (up through Snarl/Sideways) are appearing in random configurations of buy one, get one free packs at Wal-Mart. These are just standard packaged figures, in a larger cardboard sleeve, much like previous packs of this nature. For ten bucks, it's hard to go wrong.

Also, if you haven't seen it, Monzo turned us on to this link in which you can see the bio (in "English") for the recently released Pepsi Convoy, a new toy based on the concept that gave birth to the original Pepsi Optimus Prime.

Want to see small boys and rainbows? No? Well, too bad. The Magic Box has many new pictures of New Rainbow Islands,a Nintendo DS game in the "Bubble Bobble" series. It's colorful and cute and odds are your wife or significant other will find it adorable. It looks good, we're tempted to import it, so take a look.

Who doesn't love a good round of gossip? Cobra Island posted tons of Q&A on their forums with "ViperSteve" on the future of the small Joe line. We have no idea who his sources are, but it does tie in to a lot of what we've heard. We feel we'd be doing you a disservice by NOT letting you know about it, although we can't vouch for all of it-- but most of it sounds right on the money. A worthy read, to say the least.

Target stores are already marking down old product on Christmas Eve, and we saw lots of items about 30% off. Highlights include all red boxed Transformers Alternators, Cybertron Starscream, virtually all Revenge of the Sith merchandise, lots of Playmobil, tons of LEGO, and much more. If you still have time, we advise you go hunting now. If not, well, December 26, baby.

So, we're off for a few days. Happy holidays! In the meantime, have fun, check out some of the Transformers checklists we updated in the toy archive. We'll be back soon enough, though, so happy clearancing at retail and elsewhere!

It is somewhat commonly known that the week after Christmas is one of the best times to scope out new toys-- not because of returns, nor because of back room finds. But because desperate stores put out whatever they can to fill shelves, and as such, we, the bottom-feeders, find neat stuff.

Alternators: We personally spotted and bought Autobot Skids while in Phoenix at the Wal-Mart nearest the house in which we grew up. (Ergo: Sunstreaker, Tracks, and Prowl are out in the new boxes too.) $19.76 a pop, we'll be a-hunting for Sunstreaker now.

Beast Wars: We also spotted Rhinox in a... somewhere in California on the way back Wal-Mart. $14 and change, DVD, bonus parts, etc. Happy fun times.

Cybertron: Nothing new yet. We hear of many sightings of the Thunderblast wave but we do not yet see them anywhere. (We also have yet to find new Universe items. Big shock.)

You care, you just don't know that you do. Have you ever wanted Anime style hair for LEGO figures? Well, you're in luck. We spotted several (and bought one) of the new Exoforce kits from LEGO. Basically, they're mechs from $4.76 on up with figures with wild hair and multiple facial expressions-- which is the selling point, if you're an adult fanboy. If you're a kid, it's a giant awesome robot. The villains are some sort of robots in big suits. (Admittedly, we ignored them in favor of the crazy hair humans.) We just popped open one set to examine the figure and we are PLEASED. We wish to see more hair in various colors in parts packs and/or licensed characters. Pretty please.

Finally, some Fry's Electronics (not to be confused with the grocery stores) have a 700-brick LEGO bucket (no figures, just plain bricks in various colors including orange and green) marked down 50% to $9.99. It's a good deal for those needing more bricks.

As we know some of you are hardcore Animal Crossing fans: NCS has a seven-figure set from Yujin up for grabs. 7 animals per set, $16 per set, aaaand we don't know the names well enough to tell you what it is we're looking at. But they're neat for fans of Nintendo's alterna-world game and the designs are quite nice.

We just opened the Skids from the other day and we're more or less pleased with the tubby 'bot.

So for those of you who hate shopping on the Cyberweb, there you go-- you can probably expect to see those soon if you aren't seeing them already. We didn't have any new brick-and-mortar findings today, look as we may.

We've never been more agitated at a clearance item. One of Target's fairy tale castle sets-- obviously, not meant for men of our gender-- were being blown out for under $2 at our local Target, formerly selling for over $8. There were zero parts worth buying the set for, dadgummit. It seems Target's clearances this season are quite erratic, with stores seemingly marking things down willy-nilly across all brands. So as you hit Target, if you see something you like, scan it and verify the price.

No Pirate clearances yet, it seems. Although the "Pals" were blown out quite handily, which is good because it shows you people have taste.

It was pointed out to me that I rarely celebrate milestones. I just discovered that I'm more or less at my 300th Star Wars Q&A column-- or will be before Toy Fair. Huzzah. Go me, I rokk. (Two "k"s for extra rokking.) We're working on plans for the next podcast which may or may not be a New Year's Day thing. (We don't have the studio and are working on figuring out what it is we want to do. We discovered that it's more difficult to reach new levels of unprofessionalism in one's own home than it is in someone's studio.)

Now go read up on the greatness that is the hobo and go have a happy New Year. Unless you're Chinese, in which case have a happy New Year in a month and change. (Or have both. This one's on me.) Now I will go back and listened to my ill-gotten Rondelles CD.

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